Stepping through the gate was like stepping into another world. A world so full of people that there was hardly room to move. Even though there were open fields on the other side of the gate, nobody stepped so much as one foot off of the cobblestone road. Pelu was nearly crushed by several ox carts before he realized that the horses and carts stayed toward the inside of the road while the foot traffic flowed more slowly along the outside of the road. He tried to strike up conversations with the people around him as he walked. Most of them ignored him, but a few exchanged pleasantries with him. It quickly became clear that people around here weren't as friendly as they were back in his village at home.

He walked silently for several minutes, caught up in thoughts of how he would find a place to stay and what he would do now that he had arrived in the capitol. He hardly noticed as he started to pass some small scattered houses, and then more densely packed houses. He was roused from his reverie as he passed into shade and discovered that buildings now lined both sides of the road that was wide enough to fit another whole house with room to spare. He was almost trampled as he stopped a moment to take in the sight of such densely packed buildings. Most appeared to be houses, though some had signs declaring the names of businesses. Mostly small shops that didn't seem to be lacking customers.

Eventually, the buildings started becoming less dirty and more ornate. Pelu could tell he was moving into a richer section of the city. Occasionally he passed small parks amid the clutter of brick and mortar. The people joining him on his long trek toward the center of the city looked different as well. The ladies wore more brightly colored dresses and the men wore felt hats instead of cloth ones. Everybody seemed cleaner.

As he drew further toward the center of the capitol, Pelu began to feel out of place. He didn't have a jacket like most of the men he now saw and some of the women were staring at him as he walked by. He was determined though, and he didn't know where to go so he reshouldered his pack and kept walking. He knew that eventually he would have to stop for directions though. Unlike everybody around him, he didn't know one building from the next and had no chance of finding the Inventor’s Guild without help. He began to get peeved at the complete lack of signs except those announcing business names. For the moment, however, his pride was too strong and he simply continued walking, hoping that the road he was on would lead him where he wanted to go.